to tarp or not, that is the question.

[Ian]

I am new as a boat owner and this is my first season with a Hunter 37, My question is whether I should cover it for the winter or leave it exposed to the elements.If I cover it, should I remove the life lines and posts, or leave them on. Obviously it is less stress on the deck if I remove them. But what about exposing the deck to the elements. (I would cover the holes in the deck with a silicon plug)thanks in advance for any and all responses.Ian

 

[B. Smith]

Cover it up!

There seems to be two schools of thought as to whether you cover up or not. One such school says that since the boat is out in the weather from April to October, why bother to cover it. The second school is to cover it. I agree with the latter. I am concerned that water freezes and expands, which is something the April to October rain doesn't and will get into every little crack, blemish, etc and that damage will occur. Covering also keeps the sun off the boat and lessens the fading to the vessel not to mention the bright work. There are some excellent articles about winterizing your boat to be found in the Archives. Good luck.

 

[Bruce Leidal]

How to cover your Hunter

Ian,Welcome to the world of Hunter. I have a 29.5 that I purchased new in 1994. Two main areas need to be covered over the winter. One is the pedestal and wheel. The second is the main cabin with its side ports.The best way I have found to cover the boat, is to put a tarp over the pedestal and wheel and run a line through the grommets all the way around the bottom. As for the cabin top, the best way is to cut your tarp to tent over the boom and just fit inside the bottom of the lifelines. I use tarp holders (found at the local hardware store) to deal with the lack of grommets. Tie it off to the cradle.Do not tent the tarp over the top of the life lines. As soon as the wind loosens things up the rain, snow, etc. will collect in a pocket between the life line and boom. Hope this helps.Bruce

 

[Dave Johndrow]

Cover it

I've covered the boat in some years and left it in others. The biggest knock against covering is that the cover (grommets and lines) if applied wrong could damage the gel coat It may also create alot of sail area putting stress on the stands and hull, not to mention that its a pain to do. Being that your up in Toronto, snow and ice damage is a much greater threat. I have seen where snow piled up in a cockpit froze over the drains and flooded the inside (sunk on the hard) in the spring. So with that said, build a frame and cover the boat. BTW, once covered, take some old line and wrap it several times around the exterior of the boat and cover. This will prevent the wind from getting under the cover and blowing it away.good luck and welcome to the Hunter family.

 

[Don Riha]

Tarp it

It saves several months of wear on the gel coat.We tarp over the boom and to the deck cutting around the shrouds and stantions and add rope, at several locations, from rail over the boom to rail to help support the tarp. Also made a wood brace to hold the boom straight and another one from the front of the mast at the boom to the roller furling to allow a second smaller tarp to cover the bow.